More short stores
By Christine Eskilson When the alarm blares at 6 a.m., I wrap myself in my bathrobe, thrust my feet into sheepskin slippers, and scurry to my kitchen window for a glimpse of him. I’ve cherished this morning ritual for the past six months. George, still upstairs in our bedroom, jabs…
By Justin Neff With nervous energy, the wind whipped across the freshly cut hay field, forming jagged funnels from the day’s remnants, and filling the air with the scent of forgotten earth. Mrs. Cunningham stood at the foot of her crooked porch steps. At such a late hour, she had…
By Peter Barbour Gracie sat on the veranda upon a soft cushioned wicker couch with her feet propped on a pillow atop a wicker ottoman, waiting. From the tenth floor of her condo, she looked out on her beautiful view, the intercoastal water-way, the ocean, the clouds, the buildings, and the…
By Marie Anderson Gina wanted to be a beautiful bride for Chet. And she wanted to make his mother happy by wearing the same wedding gown his mother and grandmother had worn. The problem was that her future mother-in-law had been—and still was—petite and slim. Gina was not slim. She…
By Emma Snyder There are hundreds of books on the art of drying plants,On pulling herbs, fresh, and tying them into bundles,Putting them into jars for topicals and tinctures,On the best way to preserve a bloom,Set it afloat in oil or resin,Press in between wax paper sheetsAnd make stained glass….
By Jerome McFadden April 28 I am a golf ball. At my core, I am a solid synthetic rubber sphere. My makers surrounded that with a tough, thermoplastic cover. Finally, they gave me all these cute little dimples and sprayed me with two—count that again, two!—coats of brilliant white paint…
By Louella M. Nelson “Daddy drowned them,” Dee Dee pronounced solemnly, plucking one of Mrs. Tal-bo’s gigantic silk undies from the whicker clothes basket on the grass and reaching to pin them to the clothesline. The humid breeze was making Dee grimace to hold the panties still. “Daddy put them…
By Debra Goldstein Peter Wabbit wanted a carat. Not just one carat, twenty to be exact. As he walked through the Louvre’s Gallerie D’Apollon, he merely glanced at the peached colored Hortensia diamond before going to stand before the case housing the white 140.5 carat Regent diamond. Too many carats….
By K.B. Nelson Look down at the fractalflounce of my bohodress as I step throughmy day. Absurd to workin such a skirt, my officechair wheels would coil the edges upinto themselves til I’d be foundneatly bound to the chair. Swirl to the weekend beat.Sashay to the piano,take a stab at…
By Jeffrey Hunt The car accident was bad enough, but on top of that there was Winston. The tantrums were loud and violent, and seemingly only Bryan could stop them. Bryan couldn’t play sports, or join school clubs, or go out to movies with friends–he always needed to be nearby….